Bastet
by Wingleader Sora Jade
Summary: Um... Yami has a sort-of flashback as he passes a store window...


Bastet 

by WSJ 

WSJ: *scratches head* Dunno where this came from... But I like it. ^__^ Inspired by my cat attempting to lick his own forehead. ^____^ 

I don't own YGO, but I do own my cat. Sort-of. Cat's are their own masters. 

()()()()() 

At first, Yugi wasn't sure what it was. But whatever 'it' was, it sure set Yami off. He and Yugi had been walking through Domino's shopping district, talking about algebra, and how useless it was both in Egypt and in modern day Japan, when Yami had stopped dead in mid-sentence, his mental voice falling silent. 

For a breif moment Yugi was afraid something might have happened to the spirit, and so called /Yami! Yami, are you okay? Did something happen?/ 

When Yami finally answered a minute later, his voice was shaky. //Yugi, will you allow me to come out?// 

This puzzled Yugi. Yami had never needed permission before. /Of course Yami./ 

The Puzzle around the boy's neck began to glow, and a moment later Yami was standing beside his aibou. The pharoah instantly ran to a nearby store and pressed his nose against the glass. He looked rather like Jono whenever they passed a candy store. 

"Yami, what is it?" Yugi asked again, stepping closer to his other. The hikari was momentarily chilled as he noticed that although Yami's face was smashed against the window, his breath, or rather lack thereof, left no steam on the glass. 

Yugi glanced up at the sign above the door of the shop, but it shed no light on what could be captivating Yami's intrest so. 

At that moment, the shopkeeper opened the door and stepped out, looking annoyed. "Are you boys going to come in or not? Either way, get your grimey hands off my window!" 

That seemed to snap Yami out of whatever trance he was in, and he darted inside so quick that Yugi almost didn't notice. He then followed his other inside, to see him peeking over a curtain and into the window display that had so enchanted him. He turned to the shopkeeper, his eyes as round as Yugi's. "Could I... hold one?" There was a quiet, almost whistful tone to his voice that surprised Yugi. 

The shopkeeper nodded hesitantly. "I suppose... Just don't drop them or anything, mind you!" 

Yami looked shocked. "I would never!" He then turned, and reached over the curtain. His hands came back into view closed around a tiny kitten, mewling for all it was worth. Yami cradled it against his shoulder, whispering soothingly to it and stroking it's tiny head. Gradually the kitten quieted and began to purr, and it was only then that it registered in Yugi's brain that yami had been whispering to the cat in Egyptian. 

The shopkeeper had since moved on to another customer, and so Yugi didn't hesitate to ask. "Yami, why did you talk to the kitten in Egyptain?" 

Yami looked surprised, one finger still rubbing the kitten's forehead and neck. "Don't you know Yugi? It's the only language that cats understand. Bastet, the cat-headed goddess of fertility, gave them the gift of speech at the beginning of time, but cats do not use it, choosing instead to be more mysterious, like Bastet herself." 

The whole time he was speaking, Yami's voice had had an echo to it, and his eyes a far-away look. The kitten had stopped purring and was staring up at Yami in silence. 

"Yami," Yugi said quietly, "You had a cat, didn't you?" 

"Yes," Yami said, and his voice was little more then a breath. His eyes still held that far-away look, and were misted over with tears. "Yes. After mother died, she was my only friend..." 

An image flashed through Yugi's mind. He didn't know if it was of his own making, or one of Yami's memories, but either way it was still sad. Little six-year-old Yami, huddled in a corner with his knees drawn up to his chest and tears in his eyes, clutching a cat to his chest as if his entire life depended on that one bundle of fluff. 

The image faded as the kitten in Yami's arms mewed. Yami looked startled for a moment, then slowly smiled as he looked down at it. "Leave it to the cats to remember." The kitten meowed again, this time with an almost powerful air, and Yami's smile grew sad. 

"Yes..." he whispered so that even Yugi had to strain to hear him. The hikari got the impression that Yami had forgotten he was even there as he stared down at the little kitten that looked so much like his old royal pet. "My little Bastet." 

()()()()() 

O.o;; Don't ask me where that came from, because I don't know. 

God bless minna-san! 


End file.
